Zpacks Hammock Tarp w/ Doors for ground dwelling

FWIW, there's nothing stopping you from hanging the tarp between two trees, just lower than you'd hang it with a hammock, and sleeping on the ground under it.

I don't use the hammock tarp, but I use a 8.5×11 Zpacks flat tarp for both hammock camping and when I sleep on the ground.

Much of the forest is old growth, so big trees that are often well-spaced. Probably will require extra length on suspension. Don't recall anything forbidding hammocks when I hiked the Wonderland, but might be good choice if camping outside of designated zones, as there is rarely flat ground. There are enough backcountry sites that you can tent/tarp at, if you don't mind sleeping on the ground. Often there are small trees at these sites to suspend a tarp from. You can contact ranger stations for details and suggestions.

I've read conflicting reports but it seems that the trend is going towards greatly reducing or eliminating back country camping along the Wonderland and a hands off the trees as far as bear bags (they have poles), hammocks, and tarps goes. I'm going to follow the NPS' law to the letter once I figure out what it is.

My plan is to drive to the ranger station with my proposed itinerary on March 15th so I can interact with them if they need to change the dates and nail down what the policies are for the 2013 season. Rumor going around that they may start requiring bear canisters as well but I haven't read anything official on that.

I'm trying to keep my base weight under 10lbs for this trip (not there yet) so I'm not in a position to bring hammock and ground dwelling gear. I don't expect to learn anything from the NPS that would give me any confidence that I could hang at all of the campgrounds so my focus has been on the ground up to this point.

Don't know what the situation with hammocking is but your inkling that crosscountry camping is not allowed seems to be correct:
"Hikers doing the complete Wonderland Trail are limited to camping in designated camps only—the use of cross-country zones is not permitted" – this is noted on several pages including http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/the-wonderland-trail.htm.
Turning up in person on March 15th may not be very fruitful as the office doesn't open until May and in-person reservation applications are not accepted before then ("Reservation requests can be made by fax, letter (or in person after it opens to the public in late May) at the Longmire Wilderness Information Center only" per this page: http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wilderness-reservation-information.htm). You could just email/phone the ranger's office and ask about hammocking. It'll probably depend on whether it's considered to be harmful to the trees in the designated camps.
It's been several years since I did the Wonderland but it's still in the top 3 hikes I've done! The red tape is worth it – have an absolutely, stunningly super hike!

I use the zpacks standard hammock tarp regularly with my hammock and occasionally for ground dwelling and it has worked out well in both instances. I had Joe make me detachable doors which I can leave or take with me depending on the season and expected conditions.

Here is a pic of the tarp setup at Joshua Tree using hiking poles

I use the tarp mostly for solo trips but used it on two occasions last year with my 7 year old and we had tons of room. We used a Bear Paw Wilderness Designs Minimalist 2 Bivy which fit perfectly fully enclosed with the detachable doors. There's plenty of room and two adults should fit with ease.

that cuben looks black! did he get away from his army green? man joe makes some nice stuff…

EDIT: my buddy had his hammock suspension break on a 3 night trip we were on. he used the hammock as a bivy and successfully used zpacks rectangular 8.5×11 cuben tarp to cover him. one night was a bombing t storm.

"Turning up in person on March 15th may not be very fruitful as the office doesn't open until May and in-person reservation applications are not accepted before then"

Ah yes…. I guess I'll stick to the original plan of hovering over the fax on March 15.

Monty,

That looks like a nice set up. The wheels are turning in my head to use a cloud kilt as one of the doors.

How well do your detachable doors work during a storm? I'm going to pull the trigger on a Hammock Gear Upper and Lower quilt with the 20* upper being my go-to quilt for ground dwelling as well. My concern about hanging with down is any spray during a storm so I figured the tarp w/ doors would be my best bet. I like the idea of your modular system.

I

you could ask stormcrow to do the bottom 1/4 of your top quilt in cuben. that should help w/ any water…

Josh, "that cuben looks black! did he get away from his army green? man joe makes some nice stuff…"

Yep, thats black 0.74 cuben. Although you cant tell from the pic Its a bit translucent. I bought this several years back. It looks like they don't have it in stock at the moment.

Ian:

The detachable doors work fine during storm. They do a good job at blocking wind and I have not had problems with rain/spray. I'd say you get the same coverage as if you had attached doors. The doors attach with a bungee cord and s-binners at three attachment points on the tarp. The are similar to the doors made by Warbonnet for the Big MamaJamba tarp. I don't have pics of them setup but here are the schematics which show the basic layout:

The red dots are the external tie-out points I had joe put on the tarp. The green dots are internal tie outs which I use to feed the ridgeline through.